A friend has a 1987 1 st gen Maxima. Someone tried th break into it and did something to the drivers door. The door will not open now. He has been driving it by entering thru the passenger door.

The key will not open it & he doesn't have the door code. I really think there is something broken or disconnected in the drivers door. Any ideas how I can get the door open ? Or how to remove the inner door panel when the cars door is closed ?

Any ideas are appreciated. The sooner the better.

Thanks,

 

This is a tough one. I had to take the door panels off and pry open the hinge to get my y rear doors open. They were seized

 

But how do I get the front door panel off with the door closed ? I understand that there are some screws on the side of the door panel ( next to the dash) that are covered by the side of the dash when the door is closed. Is there a video or apdf with instructions on removing the panel or an exploded view of the door parts ?

Thanks

 

theres not going to be any PDF or videos for a 1st gen online, you would have to find a old Chilton or Haynes Datsun 810 manual

basically, just look for all the hidden screws you can. near the door handles, locks, etc. then, theres usually plastic clips behind the door panel. just gently pull on the panel and it should come off. i havent been in a 1st gen in a couple of years, but i dont think its doable with the door closed

it wont open from the inside either?

 

No, I can't open the door from the inside either. I wonder if a Nissn dealership has an exploded view of the door internals? This would help me to decide what migh might be loose or broken inside the door. I was wondering if I could use a slim jim bar or something similar to grab on to any internal door parts to open the darn thing.

 

either that ^ or you can pay a locksmith or repo guy to open your door with an air bag.

 

Ok now you have me curious. How can a door be opened with an air bag ?

 

so whats not working? is the door unlocked and the handle not working, or is the handle working and the door wont unlock?

 

They wedge an airbag inbetween the door and car and pump it with air and opens the door. I remember it being done with an old car we didnt have keys too.. I might be wrong..

 

So if IIRC, the door panel can come off, but it's usually easier when the door is open. Where the door handle is, there should be a plug that you can pop off, remove a Phillips screw. Then you can pop off the handle and also unclip the master switch. There should be either 1 or 2 large screws or bolts that should be accessible. Remove those.

Where the door mirror is, you'll need to pop the black 'sail' panels off. I can't remember if the entire unit pops off, or if you need to pop out the middle part and remove screws for the panel (its been almost 6-7 years since I had to do this). Once that is remove, there should be trim clips that hold the panel in, you should be able to carefully pry the panel off. Then all you need to do is remove the plastic cover to get access to all the door pieces.

If might help to unbolt the driver's seat to do this, there should be at least 4 bolts that hold it down.

Thanks,

S

 

Thanks Sarin for the advise.

The door will not open with the key or from the latch on the inside of the car.

I called a Nissan dealer & they faxed me a page showing the internals of the doors ( Drivers & Passenger )

As I see it, maybe when the guy tried to break into the car, maybe with a slim jim rod or a coat hanger maybe, they knocked off a control rod which disabled the key lock, and the inside lock release.

Maybe I can use a slim jim bar to gain access to the mechanism to open the door.

My friend does not have the code to open the door from the keypad. Does anyone know how to reset or reprogram th keypad ???

If it was reprogrammed. , could it be possible the unlock solenoid would open the door even when there is something mechanicallly messed up with the key lock and the inner drivers door release latch ???


Bob



If anyone has any other ideas, pleaselet me know.

Thanks so much for the info so far.

 

I will have to check my FSM. I think there is a reset code which you can grab from the control box in the trunk. However if the door handle inside and out won't open the door, neither will the touchpad. That only actuates the locks. Your best bet is to get the panel off, and check the rods or access the latch itself.

 

I made a slim jim bar & got the door opened . A local Nissan dealer was kind enough to give me a exploded view of the internal door parts. This gave me an idea of what to fish for with my homemade slim jim bar. It only took me 3 minutes to grab the release lever with the diagram in hand. I removed the panel & saw the linkage problems & made the repair.


I would like to know the procedure to re-program the keypad on the door.

This is a 1987 model & I do not have a keyless remote with the car. I am not sure if this model was ever supplied with one.

Bob

 

that explains why i was confused, i read 1st gen in the original post. a 1987 is a 2nd gen. i thought it was weird that the dealership would have info for a 1st gen lol

do you have the owners manual? it should say how to reprogram the keypad, cant remember how off the top of my head

 

All you need to do was a search. Here is what I found:

the keyless entry unit is in the trunk mounted on the ceiling between the speakers. on the bottom of it is a sticker with 3 rows of numbers the bottom one is a number marked "F# S#######" the 7 digits after the s(or whatever letter) is the number you use to set the keyless entry. go to the door press the code button and enter that 7 digit code. the keypad should now beep continuously for 10-15 seconds. *while* the keypad is making the beeps enter a 4-7 digit code of your choice. after the steady beeps end there should be a pause followed by 3 fast beeps signalling the unit accepted the code. after that just use the code you programed. if for some reason you decide to change the code again just re-enter that 7 digit code and do the process again.